Boston University Medical Center has developed a focus on cancer teaching and education that has resulted in the evolution of a cancer program that has visibility, coordination, and is highly regarded by faculty, administration and students. The program aims to develop activities in cancer education that are well beyond what is usually noted within the traditional medical school setting. The oncology faculty has developed a series of goals and objectives which help guide the program. To help reach these objectives, the program has developed a broad range of multidisciplinary resources, involving medical and surgical oncology, radiation therapy, hematology, pathology, pharmacology, nuclear medicine, biochemistry, psychiatry and endocrinology. Increasingly, social workers and a highly motivated nursing department have become involved, especially in areas of psycho-social support and rehabilitation. The program is intended to impact on medical students, residents, post graduate clinical associates, community physicians, nurses and paramedical personnel at both the Medical Center and community levels. Separate and distinct sections of oncology have evolved in medicine, surgery and radiation medicine with full time faculty in each. The important interrelationships of basic science to clinical management is stressed. A well organized and successful community outreach program permits students to observe cancer problems as they exist in the community setting. A wide selection of basic and clinical electives in cancer have been developed for students from the 1st to the 4th year level. Total care of the cancer patient is demonstrated as an integrated concept. A special 30 hour curriculum on cancer is given to the entire 2nd year class stressing cancer epidemiology, carcinogenesis and early detection, and utilizes "tumor models" to transfer clinical concepts of cancer management, and utilizes some 30 faculty from 12 departments. Students are now regularly "assigned" to the clinical cancer services and residents in both medicine and surgery have asigned rotations to medical and surgical oncology.